Canada is taking strong initiatives to curb the use of painkillers, as death from potent opioid drugs is on the rise. The government now requires warning labels to be posted on every prescription sticker on the bottle.

Canada's Health Minister Jane Philpott told Reuters that her ministry plans to put forward detailed proposals for the labels. The drugs that the government is most concerned with are the opioid-based painkillers which can lead to addiction and eventual overdose.

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Industry experts claim that such moves would affect manufacturers in Canada. Those to be affected include Janssen Pharma, Purdue Pharma, Pharmascience, and Mallinckrodt Plc. The warning labels are the first step in a series of awareness campaigns that Canadian authorities are planning to curb addiction to prescription opioids.

The more popular prescription opioids include HydromorphContin and OxyContin as well as Fentanyl, which is being smuggled into the country from China. The Canadian health ministry is taking these steps as the number of fatal overdoses has increased significantly across the country.

Experts say that the situation in Canada is similar to drug-induced deaths that have taken place in the United States in recent times. Ontario, which is considered the most populous city in Canada, has witnessed a rise in prescribed opioid deaths by 40 percent over the past six years.

In the region of Saskatchewan in Canada, deaths more than doubled in 2010 due to opioid-based prescription painkillers. Thanks to the ongoing smuggling of drugs, various unregulated forms of the potent opioid drug Fentanyl is being brought into the country. There were more than 900 deaths last year in British Columbia due to fentanyl.

Canadian Minister Rona Ambrose told CBC that too many individuals are abusing prescription drugs. Furthermore, Ambrose told a gathering at the Canadian Medical Association that Canada was now the second largest consumer of prescription opioids.

The stronger warnings on prescription labels are to emphasize the risks of opioid drugs. Also, the labels will elaborate on the safety concerns and risks associated with the drugs. The labels will reportedly remove any reference to the description of pain as being "moderate." They will specifically state that opioids should be used to control only severe pain.

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